Vagrant Hearts
by Zerole The Untamed
Summary: PostSeed. The war is over and things are starting to settle down. That is, until Kira finds himself torn between the affections of his best friend and his sister. CagalliKiraLacus CompleteRevisionInProgress
1. Awakening

Author's Note: Well, as I read my story over I couldn't help but feel that I could do better so I'll be revising the entire story. I won't really be adding anything new to the plot, just more content so you won't be missing too much if you don't want to re-read it. I've also changed the title since it's the one I've wanted to use from the start but was hesitant to do so because it's also a game's title, the meaning's still the same though. Like before, it's been a while since I've watched Gundam Seed so I'm going to improvise on events that I don't quite remember, and in this story the kiss or whatever between Cagalli and Athrun never happened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, if I did, there would've been a CagalliKiraLacus romance instead. -Whistles innocently.-

Vagrant Hearts

_Unknown_

Drifting in space with little desire to move, Kira Yamato, the pacifist pilot of the Freedom sighed. He had done it, he had ended Creuset's psychotic attempts at genocide. His purpose was now fulfilled, and he was ready to embrace his fate. His only regret being the promise that he wouldn't be able to keep to a certain songstress. Instinctively, his hand reached for the ring she gave him as he reminisced the memory.

* * *

_Flashback_

The end of the war was before them, and they were all that stood in the way of two races trying to annihilate each other. After their plan of attack was finalized, Kira began making his way to the hangar but before he was half out of the command bridge he was met with a shy looking pink-haired beauty. As the timid girl gazed at him with her light blue eyes, he couldn't help but admire the innocence he found within their depths. Unlike him, her hands were not stained with blood.

"Lacus?" He asked as he noticed her starting to fidget with her hands while a light blush began to spread across her cheeks.

* * *

His daydreams were cut short as he began coughing violently.

He was running out of oxygen.

Smiling once more as he recalled the time spent with his friends...Lacus, Cagalli, Athrun, Flay, Sai, Mir, and Tolle, he gently whispered. "For your futures..." Surprisingly as his body began contorting in pain from the lack of air, his expression became more content and the pain seemed to fade from his eyes as they slowly drifted shut.

From what seemed like an eternity away, familiar voices drifted to his ears from his helmet's communicator. Far too tired to respond at this point he resigned himself to just listening.

"Torii! Torii!"

"It's Kira!" shouted a feminine voice he recognized but couldn't quite identify..

"Kira!" yelled another familiar voice, this one sounding a bit more masculine.

The next thing he knew, he was being pulled into what he assumed was a Mobile Suit judging by the sound of the closing hatch, and his helmet was quickly pulled off allowing his lungs to fill with life sustaining air. Before he could react, he was pulled into a tight embrace and judging by the slender arms, he guessed that it must have been the female of the pair. Try as he might, Kira could feel his body succumbing to exhaustion but before he lost consciousness he was able to catch a glimpse of his saviors. _Cagalli...Athrun..._

* * *

_Archangel_

"How is he!" Cagalli half-asked, mostly demanded. Her face was etched with worry and fear as she began shaking the flustered doctor.

Smiling tiredly, Athrun placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her.

"Doctor?" he asked gently.

Having grown used to this type of treatment long ago, the ship physician took several moments to fix his attire and having regained his composure he smiled and responded, "He'll be fine. Besides a few scratches and bruises, he only passed out due to exhaustion and the lack of oxygen. He was pretty lucky, he might not have made it if he had gone a few more minutes without air."

"C-Can I-we see him?" Cagalli asked hesitantly. Something in the tone of her voice made Athrun uncomfortable but he decided to shrug it off for the time being.

"Yes, but try not to disturb him. The more rest he gets, the sooner he'll get better." Nodding a farewell to the teenagers, he left to continue his duties with the other victims of the war.

Looking at her companion, Cagalli quietly said, "I'll check on him. Can you go get Lacus and tell her the news?"

Seeing a strange seriousness in her posture, Athrun gave her a questioning look before nodding and walking away. As he rounded a corner, he looked back to see her enter Kira's room with an unusual expression on her face. _Is it me or has she been acting strange lately?_ Shrugging to himself, he directed his attention forward as he made his way to Lacus to deliver the news.

* * *

Having all suffered heavy damage from the final battle the Kusanagy, Eternal, and Archangel were currently docked at a nearby Orb colony in order to receive repairs and new supplies. Once the war had ended, the leaders of the Clyne Faction had regrouped aboard the Archangel to discuss their next actions. With no real obligation to either the Earth Alliance or ZAFT, it was decided that the Clyne Faction would lead the peace negotiations between the two.

Though Lacus was probably busy right now, if the looks he caught her giving Kira without his notice were any indication of her feelings, Kira's health probably reigned much higher on her priority list than playing babysitter to a bunch of politicians. Grinning at the thought, he turned left around the final corner that brought him to a halt before the briefing room.

* * *

As she entered Kira's room, Cagalli felt anxiety spread throughout her body._ Why am I so nervous? He said Kira was okay..._ Shaking herself from any further thoughts on the matter, she made her way to Kira's bedside as a smile graced her delicate face when she spotted his sleeping form.

The hospital room was an ordinary one, Kira laid in a bed several feet off the ground with the back of his head facing the center of the wall opposite to the door. To his left rested a table with a vase and what looked like daffodils in it. The room itself was of fair size, with several chairs placed against a wall on Kira's right, a good five or so feet away. Besides that, the room lacked any decoration or luxuries.

A small part of Cagalli was dismayed that Kira got such mediocre treatment considering his role in the war, but she couldn't bring herself to get angry when relief of his health set in.

Choosing a spot on Kira's right, she pulled a chair forward as she seated herself so her waist was level with his body and glanced at her brother. Having been a witness to the many times that Kira broke down in privacy, she smiled sympathetically at the now content expression on his face.

Grinning to herself at how his unruly brown haired veiled his eyes, she surprised herself by reaching over and brushing it aside to reveal his closed eyes. Feeling heat rise to her cheeks, she quickly withdrew her hand and looked at it in confusion before placing it on her cheek. _Why am I blushing?_

Shaking off the blush, she directed her attention to Kira again. As she eyed him up and down for injuries, she was relieved to find him scarce of any serious wounds, with the only noticeable bandages being around his right forearm. If there were any other injuries the hospital gown he was adorned with was concealing them.

She prayed there weren't any other.

Gazing at his face, she smiled inwardly as he slept without signs of worry for once. More often than she'd like, Cagalli noticed that his slumber was usually restless on those occasions he chose to sleep in his Gundam. The horrors of war haunted him nightly, and each time she saw him shed tears in his sleep it broke her heart to know that she couldn't remove the blood from his hands.

This is what war did to people, it made them remember.

_Maybe it's better this way, hopefully it'll be a while before we enter another useless conflict, _she thought bitterly. Looking down at her brother however, the frown she wasn't aware she had, deepened. _Why was it him that had to suffer? He didn't do anything wrong. All he tried to do was protect people and he has to pay for it...  
_

Resting her hands on the bed's railing, she was too deep in thought to notice a certain hand reach over to grasp hers. Jumping in her seat she glanced over at Kira to see him smiling at her reaction. Glaring at him threateningly, she growled and said, "You shouldn't startle me like that!"

She didn't move her hands.

Already used to her personality, he just continued smiling. "I'm glad you're okay Cagalli." he spoke softly as his gentle violent eyes bore into her emerald orbs. Looking away so he wouldn't see the growing blush on her cheeks, she nodded shyly. Mentally grinning to himself, Kira couldn't help but be amused at how such a simple display of affection unsettled her so much.

Fortunately for Cagalli, he decided to save her from further embarrassment and brought up a new topic. Preparing himself for the worse, the smile slowly faded from Kira's face as he added, "Is everyone else okay?"

She was afraid he'd ask this. Looking at him again, she gazed at him compassionately as her hands squeezed his for comfort as she responded. "Mwu didn't make it..." Eyes starting to blur from tears, she continued, "He sacrificed himself to save the Archangel from the Dominion's attack."

Although Cagalli's first impression of Mwu wasn't anything exceptional, she grew to respect his courage, and good nature as time passed. Much like Andrew Waltfeld, he was strong when necessary, merciful when possible, and always admirable.

Removing a hand to brush away a few stray tears, she turned to Kira and smiled as she said, "Everyone else is okay though thanks to you, and Athrun." Without notice, she placed her hand back over his.

Rubbing away his own tears, Kira nodded before replying. "Mwu was a good person, probably one of the few that personally cared for me aboard the Archangel...before I met all of you." Smiling sadly at Cagalli, she nodded in understanding as they remained quiet after that, their hands intertwined for comfort as they enjoyed each other's company and the first moments of peace they'd had in a while. This lasted for several minutes before the door was abruptly opened.

"Kira!" shouted a voice they both recognized as Lacus'.

"Eh, shhh Lacus, he's sleeping." said Athrun, trailing a few steps behind her. Seeing the now awake Kira, Athrun shook his head as he said, "Never mind."

As the two entered the room, what they saw alarmed them. Kira and Cagalli were resting beside each other looking too comfortable for their liking. Not being people to jump to conclusions, they tried their best to ignore their suspicion though the rather intimate mood was not lost to them.

_It's just cause they're siblings..._Athrun and Lacus tried to reason to themselves.

Despite her lingering hesitation, Lacus was too relieved to see Kira again to dwell on it and quickly rushed to Kira's side. "Kira!" she shouted happily as she bent down and embraced him. Remembering that there were spectators in the room, Lacus' timid nature took over as she released him from the hug, and the two began blushing brightly.

Looking on at the "couple's" antics, Cagalli subconsciously gripped Kira's hand tighter.

Having recovered from Lacus' usually rare public display of affection, Kira glanced back at Cagalli when he felt her strengthen her hold on his hand. Seeing her hurt expression he felt a mixture of confusion, and guilt although the reason for the latter eluded him.

Not knowing what to do he simply squeezed her hand and smiled with as much warmth as he could muster in response. Although it didn't last long, their actions didn't go by unnoticed by the other occupants in the room. Coughing politely to get their attention, Athrun walked up to the others and asked, "How are you feeling Kira?" _Did it just get uncomfortable in here?  
_

Glancing at Athrun and Lacus, Kira grinned as he replied, "I'm good thanks to you and Cagalli. I didn't think anyone would reach me in time." As Athrun nodded and Lacus smiled, Kira couldn't help but notice Athrun's subtle frown and the sincerity absent in Lacus' smile. Scratching his head and looking around nervously, he thought _What's going on around here?_

Author's Note: Didn't want to say too much at once, so anyway. Any suggestions or ideas are welcomed, and I'd appreciate it if you pointed out any grammatical errors that I might miss when I pre-read this.


	2. Depth

Author's Note: Hello all! Thank you everyone who left a review. To those who weren't able to, I'm sorry but I didn't realize Anonymous Reviews were Disabled. After posting the story I was afraid this might happen so I looked around for a few days but I couldn't find out where to check. Anyway, when I finally found it, I Enabled it so it shouldn't be a problem. By the way, I plan to update weekly with about 1500 words a chapter so please be patient. x.x'

Koyou: About Cagalli having green eyes, I always thought they looked brown but I wasn't positive so I just went by what SeedGenesis said.

Rosegirl18: Thanks for the C2 suggestion but yeah I already knew about it. By the way, I love 'Highschool Drama!' and 'Broken Heart'. I'll just try my best to ignore the AthrunCagalli romance. o.o"

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, though I think that's going to change soon. -Shoulders slump in denial.-

Wandering Hearts

_Archangel_

Exiting the hospital bay and heading for his room, one agitated Kira Yamato sighed at his luck. He had been stuck in that hospital bed for nearly a week just for some minor bruises and a relatively small gash on his right forearm. Though as he thought back at the past several days, he couldn't help but smile. At one time or another, all of his friends managed to stop by to wish him well. Cagalli and Lacus in particular came everyday to take care of him. Shifting his thoughts to the two, he couldn't help but scratch his head in confusion as he recalled their strange behavior. Although he relished the time the two spent taking care of him or simply keeping him company, it seemed like any time he focused his attention on one of them, he'd find himself the target of a sad or angry look from the other, only to have the look replaced by a smile when he turned to them.

Grasping his head and shaking it momentarily, he was able to pull himself out of any further thoughts though at the cost of a mild headache. _Er, this is what I get for trying to understand women. _Rubbing his head and sighing, he blushed when he noticed two female crew members giggling at him as they headed in his direction. Looking down in embarrassment and to avoid their gaze, he was relieved when they passed him and were nearly out of earshot before he heard a whispered "He's so cute!". If possible, his blush deepened before he managed to shrug it off.

As Kira resumed his journey to his room, he soon approached an entrance that he recognized as one leading to the Mobile Suit hangar. With nothing better to do in his room, he decided to take a detour as he made his way towards the hangar to check up on his Gundam. With a slight hiss and release of air, the entrance doors parted ways in response to his presence. Upon entering, Kira gasped when he saw the condition of his Freedom standing in the distance.

Being too far away to examine it closely, Kira slowly drifted across the catwalk towards the wreckage. Passing only a few technicians on the way, he soon reached the Freedom with little hassle and his eyes quickly surveyed the damage it had sustained. Although he wasn't surprised to find it so heavily damaged, he still frowned at what was left of the body. Truth be told, it wasn't a whole body anymore. Although a lot of the dents and burned areas were merely superficial damage, it was still missing at least half of it's limbs and the ones that were left were more than a little scathed from it's last battle with the Providence. Examining his own injuries and then looking back at the Freedom's, he smiled gratefully before mumbling a quiet "Thank you...". _I'll make sure you're restored back to normal._

As several minutes passed, he continued to stare at the Gundam almost affectionately until the slight movement of yellow caught his eye. Turning to the object, he was happy to find Cagalli standing before her Strike Rouge a few mobile suits away. From the look of concentration adorned on her face and the clipboard she was quickly scribbling on, it seemed she was doing a damage check up as well. Kicking off the ground to accelerate, he made his way towards her.

To Kira's surprise, as he shortened the gap between them she still hadn't noticed him. For some reason only God would know, he had the sudden urge to scare her. _Do I really want to risk being sent back to the hospital so soon...?_ To his displeasure, he found himself moving more stealthily as the gap between them shortened to a few feet. _Maybe that last battle with the Providence caused some brain damage too... Oh well._ Drifting behind Cagalli, he was relieved to find she still hadn't noticed him yet and was busy writing on the clipboard. Moving so he stood only a few inches behind her, he lowered his head so that it was level with hers before gently whispering "Cagalli" into her right ear.

In the hangar, everyone who was near jumped at the shriek that echoed throughout the room before turning to the source. Upon finding a blonde girl who they assumed was responsible, nearly everyone cringed at the angry "KIRA!" shout that was followed. Turning to her companion, most snickered as they noticed him smiling sheepishly with a slight grin on his face at the blonde. Those who were snickering soon bursted out into laughter as they watched the grin on the boy's face fade to one of utter fear and then shock and pain as the blonde drove a not so gentle right punch into his stomach. To their displeasure, the blonde then looked around the hangar and glared at them before an even angrier "GET BACK TO WORK!" followed. Startled by the shout, everyone instantly turned back to their work for fear of receiving the same punishment as the poor boy.

Pain. Boy did he feel pain. _She's too strong for my own good... _Continuing to clutch his stomach and moaning quietly, he was alarmed to find the cause of his pain suddenly lifting his chin up to look at her. As the last remnants of her angry expression vanished, she smiled at him teasingly as she said "I didn't hit you that hard. Besides, I already warned you not to do that." Sweatdropping at her first comment, he was about to reply when he was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace as a pair of slender arms circled around his back. Blushing from such an open show of affection, Cagalli buried her head into his chest in an attempt to hide her now brightly glowing red cheeks before quietly asking "How are you feeling?"

To Kira's surprise, he found himself returning Cagalli's hug before he could think otherwise. Kira blushed and was relieved when she decided to rest her head against his chest rather than looking at him. Steadying his voice in an effort to stay calm he responded, "Pretty well. The doctor just released me less than an hour ago."

As both their blushes began to fade, Cagalli decided to take the opportunity to look up at him sternly before saying, "What are you doing here? You should get some more rest. Have you even eaten yet?" To her disappointment, he removed his right hand from around her to reach up and scratch the back of his head sheepishly. Fortunately however, he soon placed it back around her. Almost blushing at the thought, she managed to fight off the heat in her cheeks before he could notice.

Looking back at the Freedom that stood in the distance, Kira nervously replied, "Eh no I haven't eaten yet. I was just heading back to my room though when I decided to check up on the Freedom." Though he already had a good idea why, he turned back to her before asking, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be helping Lacus and the others with the peace negotiations?"

Shrugging in his embrace, she wore a bored expression at the mention of the peace negotiations. "Same as you, I'm here to check the damage the Strike Rouge suffered in the last battle. As for the peace negotiations, I'm not really needed. We just have to basically make sure ZAFT and the Earth Alliance remain calm and clear headed so that there'll be a fair treaty. Anyway since I haven't eaten either, why don't we grab some lunch?" Nodding in response, the two released each other from the hug as they turned in the opposite direction that Kira entered.

As they moved forward Cagalli blushed when Kira's hand reached over to grasp her own. From the corner of her eye she glanced at their intertwined hands and then his face. From the oblivious expression he wore she doubted Kira was even aware of what he had just done. What surprised her the most though was that she hoped he wouldn't notice and luckily he didn't.

Mentally, she thought _What's wrong with me? Why am I so glad he didn't notice? _To her dismay, a voice inside her mind responded _Because then he'd move his hand._ Unable to deal with her conflicting thoughts, she just cleared her mind and settled for enjoying the warm feel of his hand. From the command center that overlooked the hangar two people, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, frowned deeply.

On the verge of tears though managing to hold it back, a beautiful maiden of pink hair and azure eyes clenched her fists in determination as she thought _Kira...I won't lose you..._

Her companion, a boy of the same age as she with blue hair and emerald eyes continued to frown as he thought _Cagalli...? Kira...what are you doing..._


	3. Torn

Author's Note: Wow, getting hit by that car sure slowed down my writing.. -Laughing nervously his shoulders then slump.- Okay okay, I wasn't hit by a car. I've been busy playing WoW and reading Evangelion stories lately and with the lack of KiraCagalli stories I didn't have the motivation to update. Anyway, here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoy and I'm sorry about the long wait. By the way, I revised Chapter 1 and 2 a bit, most of the changes are grammatical though I did change the ending of 2 a bit. You might wanna check it out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, but who knows, I've been a good boy and Santa Claus might be generous this year.

Wandering Hearts

_Archangel_

Cagalli mentally growled as another passing crew member spared a glance at Kira that lingered just a bit too long. Unfortunately, the former as well as the three before her were all female. If not for the before mentioned pilot's hand gently holding her own, she was convinced she might have gone into SEED mode long ago. It seemed that they couldn't even make it from the hangar to the cafeteria without some random girl staring at Kira, the blushes that numerous of them got didn't help Cagalli's temper at all. _Since when did Kira get so popular?_ Cagalli thought as her right eye twitched. So preoccupied was she that she never bothered to wonder exactly why she was angry.

Turning to Kira before she could control herself she asked, "Did you know her?"

Looking back at her with a confused expression he replied, "Who?"

Releasing a sigh, she responded, "Never mind."

Kira merely nodded in reply as he instinctively scratched the side of his head with his free hand. Although he didn't know what was bothering her, he could tell asking any further on the matter wouldn't help so he decided to shift the conversation onto a lighter topic. "Do you know what Athrun and Lacus are up to?"

Returning her gaze to the corridor ahead of them, she was relieved to see a sign saying 'Cafeteria' a few dozen yards down. "They're still helping with the peace negotiations. They say ZAFT and the EA are handling it pretty well, everyone's still really shook up about the war." Reaching the entrance, the pair turned left into the cafeteria. The conversation died between the two as their hands separated to grab some preassembled meals before choosing a table for four by the window. As they started eating in silence, Cagalli couldn't help but notice that Kira was only taking a few bites and spent the rest of the time playing with his food while gazing out at the blackness of space.

Throughout their meal, the two were interrupted numerous times as people approached them and congratulated Kira on his achievements. Being the modest person that he was, Kira merely nodded and gave them a soft smile before thanking them. Although it was all good and well intentioned; Cagalli couldn't help but be annoyed as more than one girl eyed Kira as they spoke. The last one even hinted at going on a date! Fortunately, well unfortunately for the girl, Kira was as dense as he was modest and missed the proposal completely. With her head held down the girl walked away in disappointment.

Looking at her brother with an amused though mostly satisfied expression she said, "Why'd you turn her down?"

Scratching his head in complete confusion he replied, "What do you mean?"

Letting out a quiet laugh she grinned at his naivete and answered, "You're always so oblivious Kira. That girl was flirting with you. Heck, she was only a few steps short of outright asking you out."

Kira, startled out of his wits, blushed lightly as he quietly said, "I didn't notice... Even if did I don't think I would have agreed."

Resting her head in the palm of her hand she gazed at him curiously. "Why?" Against her will she admitted, "She seemed nice and she was sure pretty enough."

The blush on his cheeks subsided and his expression visibly saddened. Looking out the window forlornly, his eyes grew distant as his voice strained. "I-I can't. It's too soon...Fllay just...it's too soon."

Cagalli's heart broke at the mention of Kira's deceased love. For untold reasons, she felt a surge of regret and envy as she thought back on the redhead that had captured Kira's heart so undeniably. From what she had seen, the two got along well enough although Fllay's happiness always seemed to be fake. _Well...maybe at first._ As their relationship deepened, it quickly became apparent that Fllay was just using Kira. Unfortunately Kira never noticed but it seemed that his kindness won out in the end when Fllay reciprocated his love just before her tragic demise. Cagalli's eyes became moist as she recalled the destruction of Fllay's ship, Kira's agonized cry rang through all the communication lines. If there was one thing she that was grateful for however, it was the peaceful parting between the two. She doubted Kira's soft heart could endure the reality of what was happening through most of their relationship.

The feel of a hand on her shoulder and a gentle shake brought her out of her deep thought. Her eyes followed the hand back to the owner to see Kira grinning at her, all trace of his earlier depression had vanished. "What were you thinking about?"

Turning away, she blushed as the hand fell off her shoulder to come at a rest atop her own. "N-Nothing."

Not thinking twice about what he had just done, he looked over Cagalli's shoulder and smiled. "Hey look, there's Athrun and Lacus." Sure enough, as she turned around the pink haired Princess as well as the widely acclaimed 'Prince of ZAFT' approached their table. As they exchanged friendly greetings, Cagalli caught sight of Lacus frowning momentarily at Kira's hands before the frown melted into a bright smile.

Lacus quickly took the open seat next to Kira and then looking at him sternly she said, "Shouldn't you still be in the medical ward?"

Laughing nervously at her seriousness, to Cagalli's dismay he withdrew his hands to rest his head on the palm of one while scratching the side of his head with the other. "I was just released a bit ago. I stopped by the Mobile Suit hangar to check up on the Freedom and that's where I found Cagalli. We both hadn't had anything to eat so here we are now."

Lacus nodded her head in acknowledgement before she slowly turned to look away sadly. "You should have told me... I would have met up with you."

Frowning at Lacus' change of mood, Kira mentally cursed himself for inadvertently hurting the soft spoken girl. In an attempt to rectify the situation he smiled nervously as he said, "I would have but I thought you were busy and well, I-I didn't want to trouble you."

Unseen by Kira, Lacus' cheeks turned an abrupt shade of red in response to his explanation and in a weak attempt to hide it she brought her hands to her face. "Silly, you're never a trouble."

Kira didn't reply as his own cheeks started to light up. Athrun mentally laughed at the pair's obvious affections for each other. _Those two are so innocent it's adorable_ he thought as he smiled to himself. Looking over to see Cagalli's reaction he was surprised to see her looking out into space with an almost angry expression in the window's reflection. _What's wrong with her?_ Staring intently at the reflection's eyes, he was alarmed to find an emotion he couldn't believe, or rather didn't want to believe. _She can't be jealous..._

The four spent the next hour chatting and eating lunch before Athrun and Lacus had to leave to return to their duties. As the two pairs parted, to the surprise of Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli, Lacus leaned over to embrace Kira, and planted a kiss onto his cheek before wandering off quickly. Athrun and Cagalli merely stared at Kira for a few seconds as he blushed brightly from such an open display of affection. Soon afterwards, Athrun departed as well but not before sneaking a final glimpse at Cagalli and to his dismay he saw her eyes burning with what looked very much like jealousy._ I can't believe it...she is. Please God, no... _Murmuring a quiet goodbye, he took off quickly as well.

Kira rubbed his cooling cheeks as he glanced at his companion for the first time since Athrun and Lacus arrived. What he saw shocked him. Cagalli was almost shaking as she tightened her hands beneath the table. Her eyes were somewhat narrowed but what startled him were how moist her eyes looked. Confused and devoid of any explanation he softly said. "Cagalli?"

"What?" she answered, her voice laced with forced warmth.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No. I've got to go." With that, she quickly stood up and took up a runner's pace out through the entrance of the cafeteria.

Kira stood there for a few moments in complete confusion before he took off after her. It took a few minutes of running before she came into view again. Panting lightly from the exertion he yelled, "Cagalli wait!" She didn't wait though her pace slowed down until he was able to catch up with a mild walk. "Cagalli, what's wrong?"

She continued to walk and it seemed as if she was ignoring him until she stopped and muttered, "Nothing. I'm busy now so I'll see you later?"

Kira stopped in his tracks a few yards behind her and frowned at the unconvincing excuse. "Cagalli..."

"Listen Kira, I've already t-told you nothing's wrong." As she said this her voice broke towards the middle and she hoped he wouldn't notice. She wasn't so fortunate.

Unable to think of anything, Kira sighed sadly as he walked forward and wrapped his arms around her waist and over the arms that hung limply by her side. Hugging her from behind he rested his head against the back of her neck and quietly said, "Cagalli...I'm sorry if I did something wrong..." Although it was an innocent gesture, he was quickly surprised when Cagalli turned around in his arms and returned the embrace with much more force. Before he realized what was happening, she was quietly sobbing into his chest.

Author's Note: There we go! The plot thickens, prepare for WAFF and romance in the next chapter! -Prods fingers together.-


	4. Realize

Author's Notes: Hey guys, it's been a while but here's the promised Chapter 4. Thanks to all those who reviewed Chapter 3. Oh by the way, I edited 3 a bit so you might want to reread it.

Disclaimer: Due to the success of a recent hostile takeover, I now own Gundam Seed! -Victory sign.- ...Nope, still don't... -Sweatdrops.-

Wandering Hearts

_Archangel_

The empty corridor of the Archangel was filled with silence as Kira and Cagalli stood in each other's embrace. Although Cagalli's sobs had ceased long ago, both had yet to react.

Kira's mind was in a state of bewilderment as he tried his best to assess to the situation. Failing horribly, he chose to remain quiet. Sighing, he looked down at Cagalli to find her head still buried in his chest. _What could be causing you so much grief? _Giving her a soft squeeze; his heart broke as she looked up at him with tear stained eyes. "You should get some rest Cagalli... Would you like me to walk you back to your room?"

Looking away from him, Cagalli nodded as they broke their embrace.

As they walked, Kira couldn't help but notice the dejected expression she wore. Unsure of what to do, he settled for holding her hand. To his relief, her mouth curved upwards as his right hand grasped her left. It was by no means a bright smile but it made him feel good knowing he had carried out his brotherly duties by cheering his sister up.

Their journey was filled with silence as they walked to Cagalli's room, both unsure of what to say or do. As they reached Cagalli's room, Kira loosened his hold on Cagalli's hand in preparation for their separation only to find her still holding on firmly. Not wanting to sadden her, he renewed his grasp as she reached out to open her door with free hand. Punching in the code for her room, they waited a moment as the door opened up automatically before entering. Her room was a typical one aboard the Archangel; it was a good 10x15 with the bed at a corner of the room, it's length resting against the longer wall, and a desk in the opposite corner. On the wall opposite of the door, there was a lone window.

Confused as to what to do next, Kira followed Cagalli as she guided him to her bed. There, they sat in silence.

Turning to look at her, Kira spoke. "Cagalli..."

Not waiting for him to finish, she replied in a soft tone. "Can we not talk about what happened? I'm kind of tired..." Kicking off her shoes, she backed away from the outside edge of the bed to move towards the side against the wall. Once inside she laid down, her hand keeping hold of Kira's the entire time.

"Well...I'd better get some rest as well. Sweet dreams Cagalli."

Moving to stand up, he was troubled to find her hand still had a firm hold of him. "Kira...can you please stay? I don't want to be alone right now..."

Scratching the back of his head with his free hand, his cheeks reddened as he searched for an answer. This really wasn't proper, even if they were siblings they were far too old to be sleeping in the same bed. Then again, could he ever really say no to her? Especially in the current state she was in? _What's the point of stalling...I already know the answer._ Nodding at her, he gave her a gentle smile before seating himself down again.

Although her voice remained even, she was glad his back was to her as she said, "Do you plan on sitting there while I sleep? You can lay down you know." Despite her pure intentions, she couldn't fight off the blush that threatened to flood her cheeks, luckily, he still hadn't turned her way.

If Kira's cheeks weren't red enough before, they were surely burning now as he stuttered. "I-I...uh...alright." Slowly, he removed his shoes before backing in as little as possible, giving himself only enough room to lie down. Laying down on his back, against his better judgement he turned to face Cagalli. _Why'd I have to go and do that?_ The look she was giving him was too much. It was far too familiar, Fllay had given him this same look numerous times towards the end of their relationship. He recognized all the characteristics he had once seen in Fllay's eyes, now in Cagalli's. Innocence, sadness, guilt, and...endearment. He wasn't quite sure what the last three stemmed from.

Lost in thought, Kira had no time to react as Cagalli released her hold on his hand for the first time since they were intertwined. Reaching for him, she wrapped her arms around his mid section and pulled him towards her in the center of the bed. There, they laid, Cagalli's head resting on Kira's shoulder, him once again in her embrace.

Kira's mind was in a state of panic. _Why is she doing this? Why do I keep finding myself in her arms? _Cowering mentally, Kira did his best to fend off any further questions on the matter. If they kept coming, he'd have to eventually answer them. Without his realizing it, while fighting his mental battles, his arms had moved until they now rested around her as well. Kira's eyes snapped shut as his mind shook in fear, unable to suppress his thoughts, he voiced one that he instantly regretted. "This isn't right."

Within his arms, Cagalli shuddered as she choked on a sob. "I know Kira." With that, she did something that would forever change their relationship. Backing slightly away, she took a long look into his eyes before leaning forward. Kira laid there stunned as he felt soft lips against his owns. What shocked him the most however, was that he didn't time to think twice before he returned the kiss. Slowly, they separated as Cagalli returned her head to his shoulder.

For several hours they laid there, both plagued by thoughts of what was to come now that their feelings were revealed, and their relationship changed. However, despite their troubles they were unable to ignore and appreciate the other's warmth.

Nuzzling his neck, Cagalli said, "I love you Kira."

Unused to such affections from someone he considered his sister, Kira blushed but with certainty he replied, "I love you too Cagalli." _I just need to find out how I love you..._he thought sadly to himself.

In another part of the Archangel a certain pink haired individual, who was also quite fond of Kira, was currently looking for him. Having not found Kira in his room, Lacus made her way to Cagalli's room in search of Kira's whereabouts. Smiling to herself as she walked, she sighed contently as she thought of the kiss she had given Kira earlier that day. Blushing brightly, she giggled as she thought of her promised one. _Oh Kira..._

Author's Note: Wow writing this story nearly drove me insane. I was maybe 2 paragraphs from finishing when WordPerfect FROZE, and I was forced to exit the program without having saved anything. Luckily, when I next opened it the document had apparently been back up'ed and I was spared from having to rewrite the chapter. -Victory sign.- Anyway, please leave a review if you can and I'll see ya next chapter!


	5. Conflict

Author's Notes: Hello again, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to release this chapter. To be honest, with so little Gundam Seed stories to my preference, I've pretty much lost interest in reading GS fanfics and gone back to Evangelion stories. I don't think I'll be able to complete this story so this might be one of the last few chapters, thanks to all my reviewers thus far, you've made my first attempt at writing fanfiction great. On that note, Lacus might be a bit OOC in this chapter though I hope it fits the situation.

Disclaimer: Gah! I still don't own Gundam Seed but while we're on the subject... ShinjiMana forever! -Shifts eyes.-

Wandering Hearts

_Archangel_

Caught between reality and the dreamworld, Kira's thoughts were muddled as he tried to recollect what had happened in the last few hours. Unfortunately for our reluctant hero, this only served to further his confusion as brief flashbacks came back to him randomly. Cagalli's punch. Him, Cagalli, Lacus and Athrun having lunch. Lacus' kiss. The damaged Freedom. Cagalli's sorrow. Getting into bed with Cagalli. Cagalli's kiss._ What!_ Recalling the last two flashbacks, Kira was instantly torn from the dreamworld and placed back to reality with all the gentleness of a jackhammer. His eyes snapped open to reveal twin pools of violet filled with complete and utter confusion, and beneath that, a little guilt. Breathing heavily from the aftermath of such shocking images, he brought his right hand from it's resting position around the bed's other occupant to rub his temples. _Wait a second...no...it couldn't have been real..._ Realizing where his hand had just been, he couldn't bring himself to remove it from his field of vision to identify the person sleeping beside, or rather on him as he finally acknowledged the light weight atop half his body.

He wouldn't need to. "Kira? Is there something wrong," a sleepy and slightly irritated voice asked. As if to finish off what remained of his denial, the owner of the voice snuggled further into him and despite the shock he felt he couldn't help but blush as she released a pleased moan. Receiving no response from her bedmate, Cagalli shook her head to brush off the last remnants of sleep and lifted her head from the crook of his neck to look up at him. "Kira?"

Realizing she was waiting for a reply, he suppressed what remained of his initial shock and tried to keep his voice normal as he spoke. "Y-Yeah I'm fine C-Cagalli." Okay, maybe he didn't try that hard. Maneuvering his head to face her, he was met with a grin and an expression that said something along the lines of 'Yeah as if'. Smiling nervously, he sighed as he diverted his gaze to the blank ceiling above them. In a more steady voice he continued, "I'll be okay. I guess I'm still a bit surprised when I think back on what happened."

"I...I know what you mean." There was a short pause, as if she was hesitant of what she was about to say next. "Kira...please look at me." Complying to her request, he found himself entranced by her emerald gaze as she smiled sadly at him. His strong, proud, and somewhat tomboyish (though he'd never have the guts to say so) sister was on the brink of tears as she quietly spoke. "I know people won't accept what we're doing, but...that kiss, those feelings we shared were real Kira, please don't regret them..."

Whether he did or didn't, he knew there was only one way he could reply either way as he stared into her loving eyes. Smiling with as much warmth as he could muster, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I'd never regret them. I don't know how yet...but I love you Cagalli. I can promise you that much."

Although doubt still occupied a corner of her mind, she was far too relieved to worry about it at that moment. Sniffling back the tears that were once threatening to burst, she called out his name again as she returned the intimate embrace with much more vigor.

He could have sworn he heard his back snap.

_She's definitely too strong for my own good_, he thought affectionately. Nevertheless, he'd endure any amount of pain to keep that beautiful smile on his sister.

"What're we going to do about Lacus and Athrun?" He received no response from the blonde laying atop him.

* * *

Outside Cagalli's room, Lacus stood motionless. She had been looking for Kira for the better part of 30 minutes, intent on 'keeping him company' for dinner. To her displeasure, just as she was about to knock on Cagalli's door and question her on Kira's whereabouts, she had heard two distinctively familiar voices talking inside. Lacus instantly recognized the owners of the voices but unfortunately the door blocked out too much sound for her to interpret the dialogue between the two. 

Lacus' hands slowly clenched into fists and quivered as worry plagued her. For the last few minutes she had been contemplating between knocking on the door so that Kira and Cagalli would be forewarned of her entrance or dialing in Cagalli's lock code and barging in without warning to see what the two were doing. _I have no right to invade their privacy...but what would they have to hide? _As much as she tried to reassure herself, she couldn't suppress the mental images of Kira and Cagalli's intimate behavior in the last few days.

Before she realized what she had done, the door sealing Cagalli's room was opening and she was already in the process of walking in.

Lacus stood in stunned silence as she looked at her love interest and his sister in bed together, and they looked back with equal shock.

At that moment, she lost all rationale. Her teeth clenched and her fists shook violently at her sides. "What are _you _doing in bed with _my_ Kira!" she yelled while glaring at the female of the pair.

Kira was the first of the two to recover from the shock. _This is NOT good. It might've been okay if we had broke it to her gently but that idea just went to Hell... Wait, did she just call me 'her' Kira?_ _Good Lord what am I thinking, this is no time to fret over minor details._ Kira knew he had placate her before the situation turned violent, he could already feel Cagalli's hold on his waist tighten. "Wait Lacus, I can explain-" he was in the middle of getting up when Cagalli released her hold on his waist and instead wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down into a seating position with her hugging him from behind. "Cagalli what're you-"

* * *

Although she was first overwhelmed with guilt when Lacus saw them, it was quickly replaced with anger upon Lacus' proclamation of ownership over Kira. Refusing to let Kira get up, Cagalli held him down with an embrace from behind as she rested her head on his right shoulder and glared back at the pink-haired beauty. 

"Since when was he _yours_," she responded, her voice marred with anger.

Lacus' glare disappeared as she gaped at Cagalli in shock. "What're you saying! You know very well how I feel about him and here you were...doing-doing God know's what!" Stopping to catch her breath, her glare returned with twice as much viciousness as before. Pointing to Cagalli and then back to herself she continued, "What are you trying to pull! He's _your_ brother and _my_ boyfriend!"

* * *

Kira was frozen in fear as he watched his sister and love interest go at it _over_ him, _through_ him since he was literally stuck between the two. _This is going to get REAL ugly, REAL fast if I don't do something._ Struggling out of Cagalli's hold as it had lessened through the course of her and Lacus' argument, Kira rose and began to approach Lacus and raise his hands in an attempt to placate her. That wasn't one of his better ideas. 

As soon as his hands were close, Lacus reached forward and literally yanked him to her side. Clutching his right arm, she softly snuggled into him before returning her glare to Cagalli.

Kira could only mentally shudder as he watched Cagalli's hands clenched into fists as she glared back at Lacus with equal intensity.

This was _not_ going to end well.

Author's Note: I have to admit, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Unlike my previous chapters, I wrote this one over the course of a few days instead of one sitting and I found this method to be a lot less stressing. Hehe, writing this chapter kinda revived my interest in this story as well, but it's nothing certain so I'll leave the A/N at the top there. Well, it's 4:35 am and I'm eager to release this chapter, I haven't preread the last 1/3 of it though so it might be a bit sketchy, but like all my chapters I'll go back and revise it within a few days. Seeya all!

P.S: If you notice any grammar errors or sentences that seem to be missing a word(I make this mistake a lot) feel free to tell me, it'd help speed up the revision process.


End file.
